


North Star

by redriverboatgambler



Series: Outlander Arrowverse [2]
Category: Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-18 03:53:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21721339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redriverboatgambler/pseuds/redriverboatgambler
Summary: Side story #1 in The Arrow. Jamie pursues the Vertigo scourge.Probably best to read The Arrow, but if you don't, that's OK. Maybe it will make you wanna read it.
Relationships: Claire Beauchamp/Jamie Fraser
Series: Outlander Arrowverse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1565560
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	North Star

It was a complete coincidence to run into her at the park. Murtagh and he were doing a quick daytime reconnaissance when she walked straight into Murtagh. He couldn’t help but have felt delighted to see her, though. He should have stayed away, found a reason to leave, but he couldn’t. His feet wouldn’t move away from her. Then she was rushing off, not even looking before crossing the street to embrace some gangly young lad in a scraggly blue hoodie. When she told him of the drug then stopped mid-sentence, he knew she was concocting some sort of plan. Considering her reckless run through traffic, he didn’t expect it to be anything safe. He was determined to keep her safe.

His hunch proved true. He sat on the roof of the building next hers and tracked her cab through the streets leading farther into the Glades. He landed on the building just next to the one she stopped at, coincidentally. He paced on the roof, watching the back alley and street front, waiting for her to exit the building. He noticed a figure in the alley across the street, watching the old storefront she had entered. He pulled out a dart with a tracking device attached. All he needed was to skim the hem of the figure’s coat to attach it. He threw with precision, but the figure must have felt the tug because they retreated with haste into the alley. A moment later, a cabbie pulled up to the curb. Claire emerged and hurried into it. He followed them back to her building.

What was she doing so deep into the Glades? And to a boarded up, old store, nonetheless? This lass was reckless. It irritated him to no end, for some reason.

He made his way back to his base. Murtagh was training with one of the dummies on the mats. He went straight to his laptop, acquired from the top-secret government agencies he had unwillingly done a few missions for. He pulled up the program to track the unknown figure in the alley. They were in another part of the Glades. If they had an interest in Claire, he’d be sure to intervene if necessary.

“And where have you been?” Murtagh asked, turning to face him. “Did ye not intend to cross another name off that list of yours?”

“I had other business,” Jamie replied. He minimized the window as Murtagh approached. “It isn’t too late yet to visit Finlay Campbell.”

>>\--------->

Two nights later, the program alerted him the tracker was on the move to a hospital near where Claire lived. He could only assume that was the hospital she worked at. The tracker had, until then, stayed stationary in a single building. He wondered if they knew they had been tagged. Whatever way, he knew he wouldn’t let them even enter the hospital if they meant her harm. He suited up and headed out, leaving a questioning Murtagh behind, cleaning his own guns.

On a smartwatch-like device, he tracked the figure to the back of the inner-city hospital. He landed on an out building in a dark back lot of the hospital. He could see a black-clad figure leaning against the balustrade. He threw another dart, landing it on the overhang to listen in. He readied another cable arrow in case he needed to swing in and fight this figure. Then Claire emerged, seemingly oblivious of the person waiting for her on the stoop. Her pale skin caught the light, nearly reflecting it on her face and hands. He heard the dark figure greet her in a voice holding genuine affection. Claire responded in English, calling the other Del.

When the conversation reached the point of Claire wanting to get a sample of the drug, he saw Del turn towards him, staring straight at him with a pointed, expectant stare for a solid five seconds. Then she turned back to Claire, letting her know to not pursue the drug by herself, and he knew what he needed to do. After Del left, he watched Claire turn back into the hospital.

He headed straight back to his base 

>>\------>

“And where have you been?” Murtagh greeted with crossed arms as Jamie made his ways down the stairs to their base of operations. “I thought ye were gonna follow up on Sinclair.”

“Aye, I will,” he said, putting his bow down, then heading to his laptop. “But I have something else I want to focus on, as well.”

He researched as much as he could about Vertigo in Inverness. There wasn’t much information, just news of people overdosing in high numbers recently. He would have to do this the old fashioned way. He knew just whom to call for assistance, though he was loathed to make Murtagh aware of this facet of his life. “I want to take down this Vertigo problem.”

“Drug dealers then? Are they on your list or is this something else?”

“As far as I know, they’re not on the list.”

“So, ye finally stray to take on something causing a problem that isn’t the rich? What brings this on?”

He left the question unanswered.

“And where will you find it, eh? Back to your old connections and partying ways?” Murtagh was bordering scolding-uncle territory. 

“I won’t be approaching this as Party Boy Fraser. I have another way.” Jamie faced away from him, closed his eyes and sighed. “Ye won’t like it any more than that way, though.”

The ranking tattoo on his left pectoral burned in memory as he pulled out one of his burner phones. This one specifically for this purpose. He called the only contact on it. It rang twice before being answered by a grumpy Russian voice (it was rather late there, even for his hours.) “ _I am sorry to call so late, Evgeny. I will need the contacts_.”

>>\--------->

Murtagh was dead silent. Jamie knew the silence to be fury. He was familiar with this projection during his party years. Murtagh stood behind him, tense and ready to strike. Jamie had told him not to say or do a thing when around these people _no matter what_. 

Before them, in a chilly, grey auto body shop stood three men, glaring. The leader, a bald man with cold eyes snapped his phone shut. He spoke to Jamie, in Russian. “ _So it is, true. You are a Captain. Pakhan speaks very highly of you. What did you do in those years away?_ ”

Jamie glared in answer. 

“ _Well,_ Pakhan _may speak well of you, but_ Pakhan _is not here. If you want us to help you, you must do something for us_ ,” he clapped his hands. Two more thugs dragged a struggling man into the repair shop from the back room. They pushed him on his knees before Jamie. “ _As you know, loyalty is key in_ Bratva. _To betray your brothers is death. This boy stole from his brothers. He must face the consequences._ ”

Jamie looked at the young man, no more than twenty, he was sure. The kid was terrified. 

_“Kill the boy, and we will get your message to the Vertigo dealer of your interest to invest_.”

Jamie turned to Murtagh, his hard look reminding him to stay still. He approached the kid, who struggled and protested as much as he could. He begged in Russian and broken English for mercy. _It was mistake. Never again_.

“Aye, _never again_ ,” Jamie growled, got the kid in a headlock and crushed his windpipe. The kid crumpled to the ground. Murtagh stood stoic, hardly breathing. One of the henchmen checked for the boy’s pulse, and confirmed there was none.

“Thank you, _Kapitan_. We are in business. I will call you when we have a deal set up. He will want to meet you personally, I’m sure.”

“Well, he will not. I am too conspicuous. He will meet my man,” Jamie motioned to Murtagh. “Or there will be no investment.”

“As you say, _Kapitan_ ,” he bowed his head to him. Two of his men went to collect the kid, but Jamie stopped them with a raise of his hand.

“I will take care of it.”

>>\------->

Jamie revived the lad in the back of the van, applying pressure to a point.

“What the fuck,” Murtagh breathed. “Where did you learn that?”

Jamie didn’t answer, of course. He spoke to the kid, “ _You’re going to be given a new identity and place to live. Don’t mess it up._ ”

Jamie grabbed another burner, calling in another favor.

Murtagh drove them where instructed, more questions about his godson running through his mind.

>>\---------->

Murtagh watched his godson training at the mu ren zhuang. He knew during those five years away his godson had been through hell. He had returned a hardened man, holding a darkness within. He was unsettled today to see how dark. But Murtagh knew darkness. He had been through it after 15 years in the service; he had witnessed it in his comrades, seen them be lost to it. Jamie would need guidance through this period, which was why Murtagh was there in the basement with him. There was only so much he could do, but still he had to try.

“Jamie,” he called over the sound of Jamie’s forearms connecting with the wooden pegs. He didn’t stop. “Ye canna ignore me, lad. You'll hear me whether ye will or no.”

Jamie stopped, but didn’t turn to Murtagh.

“I ken you’re navigating deep waters, Jamie. Ye've been through hell, as have I. Ye have your secrets, many of them as seen today. But know, they have weight. The more ye keep the harder it is to keep moving, to keep yer head up.”

“Well, you see how hard I work out.”

The notification alert from the Bratva burner phone put an end to the conversation.

Jamie read the text then finally looked at him. “The buy will be tonight.”

>>\----------->

He waited in the shadows of the stairwell. The plan was a house of cards. It could fall apart quickly, but all he needed was the drug and for Murtagh to get out of there as quickly as possible. The timeline was tight.

Murtagh was on an empty level of the parking garage, suitcase at his foot. A vehicle pulled up, parking a few yards away from him. Three figures emerged from the vehicle. Two men in suits with guns, the third a slender, tall man with black eyes. He was dressed in a long black coat over a dark waist coat, a cravat about his neck. He carried himself in a regal fashion, as if he were truly of the aristocracy.

“Well, well, I must say I was surprised to get a call from the local Bratva on behalf of your employer,” he said, his French accent was thick. “I am insulted the prodigal Fraser wouldn’t deign to meet me directly.”

“He can’t be seen expanding the business for the local Bratva. But I can.” Murtagh responded. He crossed his arms. 

“Oh, but who would see us? It is only us, is it not?” he looked around the empty level. “Well, I don’t _really_ need the investment. However, my own backer is adamant I ramp up production, and is still tight with the purse strings.”

There were only a few minutes left.

“Well, we would need sample of the product to know it’s worth investing in pharmaceuticals,” Murtagh said, gruffly. 

Le Comte smirked. “I understand business, sir. If your prodigal employer wishes to try the drug, as he was such a great customer to other products five years ago, he can take this now. Call him. Bring him here.”

He pulled out the double syringe of Vertigo.

The sirens started sooner than expected. Le Comte turned, seeing the flashing lights approaching. He turned back to Murtagh, then lunged for the suitcase. Murtagh dashed off, jumping over a balcony to escape. Le Comte grabbed the suitcase and dashed for the stairwell, as his henchmen had already gathered back into the car to escape. Paid guns weren’t always trustworthy.

Jamie dropped from his perch to take on Le Comte, but he turned to Jamie and jammed the needles into him, pressing one plunger.

“Not today!” Le Comte hissed. “Enjoy!”

He turned and ran the opposite way Murtagh was sent, leaving the double syringe in Jamie’s chest. Knowing time was of the essence, Jamie launched a cable arrow through the windowless area, going to the nearby rooftop. Getting to the nearby hospital was top priority.

He swooped from building to building, finally landing on the stoop. She turned to him, already there, thankfully. The light still reflected off her pale skin. He held out the drug, trying to let her know Murtagh would be by shortly. Suddenly, her hand touch his face. Fire. Her other hand touched his other cheek. He was burning, not just from the drug. The minimal light waved off her hands like the northern lights. He couldn’t breathe.

In this place, his face between her hands, his devils didn’t know he was alive.

**Author's Note:**

> I intended to name this after the song I like to put on when getting into the mindset of Arrow!Jamie, but I have further plans for that. So I named it after a pop punk song that has a string of lyrics I like as well: "you are my north star, my lighthouse, the only thing that helps me get back home" - Give Up by Knuckle Puck.
> 
> The last line is a nod to the song I listen to, though. It's by Ruiner, and that will be posted at some point. Bug me about it.
> 
> Also, I did lift what Murtagh said to Jamie and Jamie's reply from Arrow. The digg/oliver friendship is a staple on that show.


End file.
